Arby's opens new concept: Roast Town provides ''quick comfort'' for dine-in take-out drive-thru.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 27, 1995--Arby's Inc. makes its debut in the upscale fast-food dining arena with the Feb. 27 opening of Arby's Roast Town, a restaurant which offers a complete menu of appetizers, dinner style entrees, side dishes and desserts, in addition to the roast beef chain's signature sandwiches and fries, all at fast-food prices and convenience.

Located just miles from Arby's Worldwide Headquarters, Roast Town is a new concept in Arby's fast-food dining which incorporates the price and convenience of a quick-serve restaurant with the food quality, variety and ambience of casual dining.

``The lifestyle of the '90s has created a demand for more than fast,'' said Arby's President and Chief Executive Officer Donald Pierce. ``Consumers are also looking for products more like those they would prepare in their own homes, especially at dinner time. Roast Town will fill that `quick comfort' food demand for them.''

As in other Arby's restaurants, Roast Town customers will order their food at the front counter, help themselves to sodas, condiments and tableware, and seat themselves or take their order to go. As in a traditional Arby's, customers will be able to customize their sandwiches with Arby's famous sauces with a new twist.

An added feature is the expanded Arby's sauce bar, now with 10 exciting sauces, including Arby's original two offerings of Horsey and Arby's Sauce. New flavors include Atomic Horsey, Broncoberry and Peachapeno.

The drive-thru presents a new concept as well, featuring a choice of eight combinations in three price ranges or a $10 dinner of a roast chicken, two sides and a loaf of freshly baked bread. Mark Wiser, senior director of new products and programs at Arby's and leader of the Roast Town project, said the condensed drive-thru menu consisting of the most popular entrees and sandwiches simplifies the ordering process and speeds drive-thru service.

The restaurant, which is larger than a standard Arby's and has a decor more like that of a mid-scale restaurant, employs 15 additional crew members, features an open kitchen, new technology for baking fresh bread, dispensing Arby's sauces and serving Arby's custard.

"We have incorporated everything we could think of in Arby's Roast Town, and have even had equipment designed specifically for us, to enable us to give our customers fresh, homestyle meals and great-tasting snacks at a fast-food pace and fast-food prices," Wiser said.

Examples from the Roast Town menu include roasted chicken wings, onion petals and stuffed jalapenos, steak and red bean chili, oven-roasted chicken, homestyle pot roast, cold pasta salad, real mashed potatoes, frozen custard and apple dumplings.

Dubbed "The Best There Is" by Arby's, Roast Town was more than a year in the making, and is located in a renovated, corporate-owned Arby's restaurant.

Two Roast Town restaurants are scheduled to open in Canada during the first half of the year while the success of the Plantation restaurant will be evaluated before additional units are developed in the United States. Portions of Roast Town concept, however, could make their way into existing Arby's restaurants soon.

"We are investigating how current stores could take part of the Roast Town concept, like the appetizer package or the platter program, and introduce it in their markets," Wiser said.

Roast Town is located at 1851 North University Drive in Plantation. Hours are 10 a.m. - 11 p.m. Sunday - Thursday; 10 a.m. - Midnight Friday and Saturday.

Arby's, a subsidiary of the Triarc Companies Inc. (NYSE:TRY), is famous for its premium, slow-roasted beef sandwiches which are served in more than 2,800 restaurants worldwide. Systemwide sales for 994 were a record $1.8 billion. Ninety percent of the system is owned by independent franchisees.

CONTACT: Arby's Inc., Fort Lauderdale

Laura Widmer/Neil Cohen, 800/305-ARBY (2729)